


Love on the fourth floor

by IdontlikeIobsess



Series: Notes and Neighbors [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Early Mornings, Fireman!Derek, Fluff, High school teacher!Stiles, M/M, Notes, SO MUCH FLUFF, Stiles and Derek are neighbours, lots of post scriptums, sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-07
Updated: 2014-11-07
Packaged: 2018-02-24 11:18:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2579621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdontlikeIobsess/pseuds/IdontlikeIobsess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not really Stiles' fault if the first person he meets when he moves in his new apartment is a hot fireman. He decides to leave a note under his door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love on the fourth floor

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuses for this. Just some Sterek fluff :)  
> Sorry for any mistakes.

Because Derek is a pretty rigorous person, he knows that it takes 1 minute and 45 seconds for the elevator in his apartment building to go up from the first floor to the fourth, where every afternoon he waits impatiently, tapping his feet on the ground. For this reason, he also knows that the elevator is 15 seconds late and he’s ready to take the stairs when finally the doors open in front of him and a guy- a kid?- stumbles out and crashes right on his feet. Derek is hit by a flow of apologies ( _sorry,sorry,I’m so sorry_ ) while the kid tries to grab the two suitcases he’s carrying with him at the same time, juggling them in his hands. Derek stares, frowning down at the long strands of hair that cover the kid’s face. When he looks up though, Derek finds out that he’s not a kid at all. He’s skinny and he’s wearing something like a graphic shirt and tennis shoes, but he’s definitely close to Derek’s age.

“...but apparently I can’t carry two suitcases at the same time and I’m so sorry if I hurt you? Did I hurt you? You don’t seem hurt, to be honest, but you can never know. Once my friend Scott broke his toe but he felt nothing until I stepped on it. Trust me, it was painful.”

“How could you know? You weren’t the one to break your toe,” Derek says. He grabs one of the suitcases and hands it to the young man, who smiles at him.

“ Yeah, but Scott was swearing a lot and he turned kinda green. I totally suffered with him,” the guy says. “Sorry if I’m making you late. You’re probably going out with your friends, right?”

Derek arches an eyebrow. “I’m wearing a uniform. And it’s not Halloween, yet.” he says. “Anyway, do you need help? Are you looking for someone in this building?”

“Uhm...I’m actually moving in 4b. Like, right now,” the guy says, holding up his suitcases. “I guess we’re going to be neighbours!”

Derek rolls his eyes. “Awesome.”

“You’re not going to tell me where _you_ live?”

“I’m lucky enough to be your next-door neighbour. I live in 4c,” Derek says. “I have to go now. I guess I’ll see you around.”

The guy is quick to nod. “Yeah! O-Of course! See you around, neighbour!”

Derek resist the urge to roll his eyes again. When he steps on the sidewalk outside his apartment building, he’s 5 minutes late for work.

 

+++

 

Stiles tries his best to intercept his Hot Neighbour again, but their paths never seem to cross.  It’s weird, Stiles thinks. They live next to one another and yet, there are no signs of him. Stiles starts working at the high school in town and he gets home in the late afternoon, when the classes are over, but he never sees his neighbour. He unpacks his two suitcases and during the week Scott helps him with his new furniture.

“You’re not asking Danny to put a camera outside his door!” Scott says, throwing his arms up in the air in disbelief. “There’s a thing called privacy, Stiles! And I know you never cared about it, but it’s important!”

“But...I don’t even know his name!” Stiles says. “I mean, I want to be a good neighbour and be friendly with the people I live with.”

He doesn’t say that he’s afraid of being alone, once Scott goes back to Beacon Hills.

“Yeah, right. Your interest has nothing to do with his _incredible hazel eyes_ and... wait, what did you say? His _strong shoulders_ and...”

“Liar! You’re making this up!”

“... _he was so hot in that uniform, Scott! I wonder if he has a helmet, too_?”

“Shut up!” Stiles laughs. He launches himself at Scott and they tumble on the floor, rolling on the new carpets and ending up against the couch. “I can’t help it if the first person I met was him! I’m curious by nature, okay? You should know that.”

“I also know that every time you’re curious, something bad happens.”

 

+++

 

Stiles waits a long, endless week before he decides to do something. He takes a piece of paper and a pen and he sits down at his desk, thinking about a short but effective message.

_Hi,_

_This is Stiles. If you’re wondering who or what a Stiles is, the answer is me!, your next-door neighbour. I was thinking that we hadn’t introduced ourselves the other day (probably because you were too shocked about my great entrance) and ~~I’d really like to know something more about you~~ it would have been rude to say hi to you in the elevator without knowing your name, if we ever happen to meet each other again. _

_So, nice to meet you, next-door neighbour. ~~If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.~~_

Okay, maybe Stiles can’t really do short, but he thinks the message is at least effective. Not too needy, not too desperate. He slips the paper under his neighbour’s door and does what he does best. He waits patiently.

 

+++

Derek stumbles into his apartment at six in the morning, his eyes already half-closed. He doesn’t even bother to turn the light on, he just rids himself of the uniform and falls on his large, comfortable bed. He’s too exhausted to notice the little paper under his door.

 

+++

Derek forgot to close the blinds...again. He’s forced out of his bed by the sunlight on his face and he rolls over until his feet hit the ground. He’s not completely awake yet, still tired, but he knows he won’t be able to go back to sleep. When he checks the fridge, he finds out it’s empty. Derek sighs and puts on some clothes so he can go out and buy something to eat. That’s when he spots the folded piece of paper under his door.

_Hi,_

_This is Stiles. If you’re wondering who or what a Stiles is, the answer is me!, your next-door neighbour. I was thinking that we hadn’t introduced ourselves the other day (probably because you were too shocked about my great entrance) and it would have been rude to say hi to you in the elevator without knowing your name, if we ever happen to meet each other again._

_So, nice to meet you, next-door neighbour._

_The guy from the elevator_ , Derek thinks. Derek finds himself smiling down at the written words. Stiles’ handwriting is so messy that Derek has trouble figuring out some of the words, but the message rings loud and clear in his head even after he’s gone out and he’s eating his breakfast in a diner a few blocks away from his apartment. For once, Derek decides to act like some sort of sociable adult, like his sisters always tell him to do. It’s not like he actually has to talk to Stiles, after all. He hasn’t seen the guy since their first, awkward meeting.

Derek asks the waiter for a pen and writes an answer on the back of Stiles’ piece of paper.

**_I’m Derek Hale. Nice to meet you._ **

 

He slips the paper under Stiles’ door on his way back to his apartment.

 

+++

 

“Derek Hale!” Stiles says into the phone. “My neighbour’s name is Derek Hale! He wrote back, Scott! I think this means I didn’t make such a bad first impression.”

“Or he just thinks you’re some sort of crazy, lonely creeper and he decided to write back just to keep you at bay.”

“What? Is it really that hard to believe that I’m doing this just because I want to make new friends? I’m not going to stalk him.”

“You wanted to install a camera outside his door. That’s called stalking.”

“Yes, but you made me change my mind. That’s what best friends are for, right?”

Scott sighs. “Right. Have you wrote back?”

“I can’t write back this soon, Scott! He’ll think I’m desperate for some human contact.”

“You _are_ desperate for some human contact, Stiles,” Scott says. “I don’t think you living this far away from Beacon Hills on your own is a good idea.”

“Well, it’s a little too late for that now, don’t you think? I already have a job and I’ll have some friends in no time. You just have to trust me on this.”

 

+++

 

Stiles waits three days. He gave his students a quiz to do, so he has some free time to write something smart and cool to Derek. He tears off a page from his notebook and holds the pen in the air, just a few inches above the white paper.

 

_Wow, you actually wrote back. I didn’t really expect that and now I don’t know what to say to you. But there’s one question that is really bugging me. What’s wrong with the lady in 4d? I mean, she always seems to be yelling at someone, but I’m pretty sure she lives alone. And what about the couple in 4a? Weird noises from their door. And I don’t even want to talk about the creepy guy in 4e. Man, what’s wrong with our floor?(Okay, these are three questions.)_

_P.s. I kind of figured out you’re a fireman since, as you kindly pointed out, you were wearing a uniform. So, I feel like I should tell you what I do for a living. I’m a high-school teacher. Not as adventurous as your job, but I love it._

_P.p.s I’m sorry if you happen to be close friends with all our neighbours and I not-so-subtly offended them. But I’m curious, and I just want to know more about the people I live with._

 

When the bell rings and the students start to walk out of the classroom, Stiles slips the paper in his pocket. He feels strangely excited about this exchange of notes with Derek, mostly because he wasn’t actually expecting an answer from the guy.

He stays at school to grade some papers and it’s already dark outside when the elevator’s doors open in front of his apartment. He pushes the paper under Derek’s door and waits for an answer.

 

+++

 

**_The lady in 4d always yells at her cats. Erica and Boyd are the couple in 4a: when they’re home together, they always have sex. They’re cool, but sometimes I hate them because they don’t let me sleep when I just want to rest after one of my shifts. I don’t want to know what’s going on with the guy in 4e, either. He’s, like, eighty, but I’m pretty sure I saw some thirty-something- years- old girls walk in and out of his apartment._ **

**_But what about you? You say you’re a teacher, but I never see you around. What if you had a double-identity? What if you’re a teacher in the morning and a serial-killer at night? What if you’re trying to gather information about our neighbours because you want to kill us all?_ **

**_(Does that make me one of your targets or your partner-in-crime?)_ **

+++

 

_Dude, I think you spend too much time alone. I just moved from a small town in California, where my father is the Sheriff. I couldn’t be a serial-killer even if I wanted to! It’s in my DNA._

_You say you never see me around, but the truth is, I never see_ you _around. You must have shifts. What do you do the rest of your time? I think that’s a really good question._

+++

 

**_I asked to work all the night-shifts because they’re quieter. It’s not like I have this crazy social-life and I don’t have any problems sleeping trough the morning (except when Erica and Boyd decide they’re not going to let me rest.) I guess that’s why we never see each other. If you stay at school until late afternoon, I’ve already left for work._ **

**_It’s weird, we literally live five foot away from each other but we only spoke once. ~~To be honest, I like writing to you.~~_ **

**_Hope you’re having a good week._ **

****

+++

 

_That’s too bad, Derek! This means we’ll never see each other! You literally leave for work when I’m leaving the school.  I guess we’ll have to keep writing this little notes, if we want to keep our friendship strong!(Are we friends? Is this a friendship?)_

_~~I want to be honest with you... you’re like my only friend in town~~. _

_Hope you’re having a good week, too._

+++

For the first time since he moved from Beacon Hills, Stiles is happy to be tired. Scott visited, and they went out drinking in one of the bars downtown. It’s also a Friday, and this means he doesn’t have to work in the morning.

“...he has to have a day off from work, Scott! I like writing to him, but I also want to see him again in the flesh, you know?” Stiles says, pushing a drunk Scott inside the elevator of his apartment building. “It’s so frustrating. Sometimes, I just want to knock on his door and... Crap! I can’t find my keys!” Stiles says, walking out of the elevator when the doors open on his floor. “I was sure they were in my pocket!”

 

+++

 

Derek knows he only has to wait 1 minute and 45 seconds before he can crash on his bed. He’s swaying in place, trying to keep his eyes open, when he hears two distinct voices arguing just outside the elevator.

“I’m pretty sure I gave them to you, Scott!”

Derek knows that voice. The last time he heard it, three weeks ago, that same voice kept repeating _I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry_. Derek is suddenly awake and alert. Who’s Stiles talking to?

“You said they were in your pocket five seconds ago, Stiles!” someone slurs, clearly drunk. “Please, just find the keys so I can sleep!”

When the elevator’s doors open, Derek finds Stiles trying to reach inside his friend’s pocket. Scott isn’t collaborating though, so Stiles has him pinned against the door, trying to keep him from falling down at the same time. They don’t even acknowledge Derek until he grabs Scott under his armpits and helps Stiles to keep him up.

“W-what?” Stiles whips his head so fast that he has to stop for a second. “Derek?”

“I keep him up, you find the keys.”

“How do you know I’m looking for my keys?”

Derek rolls his eyes. “Stiles, you’re locked out of your apartment. What could you be possibly looking for?”

“Right,” Stiles huffs. He turns his attention to Scott, who’s leaning against the door with his eyes closed. “Found them!” Stiles yells.

Derek winces. It’s five in the morning and he’s pretty sure Stiles has just woken up the entire building. “Great. Now open the door. I’ll help you carry him inside.”

Stiles’ apartment is as big as Derek’s, even if it’s furnished in a completely different way. There are bright colours everywhere and the walls are covered with posters, paintings and photos. Lots of photos. Derek spots Scott in half of them, sometimes with Stiles, sometimes with other friends. There’s a big photo of what Derek thinks is Stiles’ family: a woman who looks just like him and a smiling man with bright eyes.

“Just put him on the couch,” Stiles says. “I’m sorry, but he doesn’t get to sleep in my bed.”

Derek lays Scott down on the small couch in the middle of the living room and waits for Stiles to cover him with a blanket. Then, he grabs Stiles by the elbow and drags him out of the apartment, stopping in the dim, yellow light of the hallway.

“Sorry if I’m keeping you awake. You’re probably tired,” Stiles says, looking down at his feet. “You should go to bed.”

“And miss the opportunity to talk to my pen-pal?” Derek smirks. “Is this weird for you?”

“What, us talking? Maybe a bit, but not so much as you’d think. So, I guess you just got off work?”

Stiles looks at Derek then, at the way his eyes look so soft under the hallway’s light. He had already noticed how attractive Derek really was the first time, but now Derek is right in front of him and Stiles has some trouble breathing. He takes in the particular shade of green of his eyes, the dark stubble on his chin and cheeks.

“Yeah. I heard you talking outside your door, I thought I could see if you needed help.”

“Yeah, thank you for that.”

They’re silent, now. Derek is looking at him from under his lashes, his face tired but focused on Stiles at the same time.

“So, that was Scott, uh?” Derek asks.

Stiles smiles. “Yeah, he’s visiting for the weekend. I haven’t seen him since he helped me move in a few weeks ago. He still lives in Beacon Hills with his girlfriend.” He pauses then, looking up at Derek. “Sorry, I know I said this wasn’t weird...but maybe it is. I mean, this is only the second time we talk but I feel like you already know so many things about me. Don’t you think is weird?”

Derek rolls his eyes. “Maybe, maybe not. We can keep writing notes if you’re not comfortable with this.”

“No! I am totally comfortable, you have no idea. I just wasn’t expecting to see you tonight, that’s all. I had kind of convinced myself that you didn’t actually live next-door and there was a robot answering my notes.”

Derek sneaks a glance inside Stiles’ apartment. “Did you have fun tonight?” he asks. He doesn’t know why he’s making the effort to make conversation with Stiles, but he knows that he’s interested in the guy, he wants to know more than what he already knows.

“Yes! Scott doesn’t really have the chance to get out of Beacon Hills very often, so it was fun to show him the city. Then, he decided to get drunk and I had to carry his ass across town because we’re both too poor to call a cab.”

They keep talking in hushed voices in the hallway until Stiles’ eyes fall on his watch.”Derek, it’s almost six in the morning! How are you still awake?”

“I don’t really feel tired right now.”

They smile at each other, silent again.

“Do you work tomorrow?” Stiles asks.

“Tomorrow night, yes.”

“Do you- I mean, would you like to-” Stiles stutters on his own words, looking down at his feet in embarrassment. He clears his throat and tries to find the courage to talk to Derek. “Derek, would you like to have lunch with me and my currently- drunk- best friend tomorrow? Or, should I say today? Whatever.”

Derek smiles, quick to nod. “I’d like that. So, see you in a few hours. Should I bring something?”

“Just yourself.”

 

+++

 

“So, you’re the one Stiles keeps writing to?” Scott asks during lunch, swallowing down the dessert.

Derek look at Stiles for a moment and then nods. “I am.”

“And you’re a fireman?”

“ _Scott_ ,” Stiles interjects.

Derek nods again. “That’s correct.”

“And you’re from New York?”

“Scott, you already know those things. Why are you asking?”

“I just want to check if he confirms the version he gave you,” Scott says, narrowing his eyes at Derek.

Stiles snorts. “Oh, god. Derek, I’m so sorry that my friend is an ass.”

“That’s okay. I use to ask the same questions to my sisters’ boyfriends. If they can keep up with me, they can date them.”

“Okaaaay,” Stiles says, standing up to clear the table. “Scott, don’t you have to skype with Allison?”

“Oh, you’re right!” Scott says. “See you later, Derek. It was nice meeting you.”

“Yeah, right,” Stiles says. “Just go in my bedroom and keep in mind that _we can hear you_ , Scott.”

When Scott closes the bedroom’s door behind him, Derek relaxes a little.  “He’s intense,” he says. “But I like him. Are you two close?”

“He’s like a brother to me,” Stiles explains. “What about your sisters? You wrote me about them sometimes. Do they live here?”

“Oh, no. Cora is somewhere in South America and Laura still lives with her husband in New York. She calls a lot, though,” Derek says, smiling. “I miss them, but I’m also grateful that I can have my privacy, you know? They’re both pretty nosy.”

Stiles nods. “A lot of my friends back in Beacon Hills are the same. That’s why it was so weird the first period I lived here. I kept expecting someone to open my door and jump on my bed at any moment, but then I remembered that this door has a triple lock and I live on the fourth floor, so no one can slip through my window. It’s pretty sad, now that I think about it.”

“So you decided to leave a note under my door,” Derek smirks. He sits on the couch, making himself comfortable.

“Don’t make me sound so desperate! I missed my friends and I was terrified about my first day at school. What was I supposed to do?” Stiles says. He sits next to Derek, not too close, not too far. When he looks up, Derek is staring at him with intensity.

“I’m glad you did.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It was like someone was waiting for me when I came home from work,” Derek says. Stiles can see the blush on his cheeks, but he says nothing.

“I’m glad you decided to write back.”

 

+++

 

While Derek waits for the elevator to go up to the fourth floor, he slips a piece of paper under Stiles’ door.

****

**_Thanks for lunch, I had a great time. ~~I can’t wait to see you again.~~ Maybe next Saturday we could have lunch at my place? _ **

**_P.s. Tell Scott I say hi, I don’t think I’ll be able to say goodbye before he leaves._ **

****

+++

 

_Saturday it’s perfect! We could order pizza or something so we don’t have to cook. It’ll be awesome!_

_Scott says hi. He left tonight and I’m lonely again._ _~~Can’t wait for Saturday.~~_

__

+++

 

**Dude, I know you find my friend attractive and you actually seem like a cool guy, so I’m only saying this once. Stiles is a great person and he deserves everything he has in his life. I felt guilty when he first moved because I knew he was lonely, but then he started this writing thing with you and things got better. So, I hope you’re going to treat him well. If not, I know people who could hurt you (has Stiles mentioned Lydia Martin?)**

**Scott**

+++

 

_Gooood, this week seems endless. Can you believe it’s just Wednesday? I can’t. I have a ton of papers to grade and I’m pretty sure the creepy guy from 4e eyed me suspiciously this morning. I hope he doesn’t have a thing for attractive, skinny guys._

 

+++

 

**_It’s already Thursday while I’m writing this (it’s five am). Hope you’re sleeping well. ~~If not, you can always knock on my door.~~_ **

**_P.s. If the creepy guy says anything to you, you tell me._ **

 

+++

****

**_I was wondering what kind of pizza you like, so we don’t have to wait a lot when you arrive._ **

**_P.s. Happy Friday._ **

****

+++

 

_I just got back from school and I thought I saw you rounding the corner, leaving for work, but I’m not so sure. I had an awful day, and I hope yours was better. What time should I come tomorrow?_

_P.s. I like everything, really. I’ll have what you have._

+++

 

Stiles is not prepared when Derek opens the door with bed hair, his eyes still half-closed and without a shirt. He doesn’t drop the bottle of wine he’s holding just because he’s too shocked to move.

“Derek? Were you still sleeping? I’m sorry, I’ll come back later!” Stiles says, already stepping away from the door.

“No!” Derek says. “No, stay... please. I just slept through my alarm. Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be ready in a minute.”

Derek disappears into the apartment and Stiles walks in, cautious. Derek’s apartment is furnished with grey and white furniture and the walls are bare except for a big picture of Derek with two girls who look very similar to him. _His sisters_ , Stiles thinks.  He puts the bottle on the kitchen’s table and sits on one of the chairs. He hears Derek ordering their pizza in his bedroom and when the call is over, he hears the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Stiles!” Derek says, dropping on the chair next to him. He looks tense, almost nervous. “I’m so sorry. The pizza should be here in fifteen minutes.”

“Ehy, it’s okay. I brought wine, we could start with that?” Stiles smiles. Derek finally relaxes. “That’s fine with me.”

“So,” Derek asks while Stiles pours the wine in two glasses. “Why did you have a bad day yesterday?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. The students don’t really seem interested when I teach and it’s frustrating. But I guess that’s something every teacher has to go through. Plus, I was already in a bad mood because I miss my dad and I haven’t seen him since I moved here,” Stiles says. “What about you?”

Derek shrugs. “There was a small fire not too far from here, but we handled it fine,” he says. “Tell me about your Dad. What is he like?”

“Do you really want to know about him? But...why?”

Derek looks at him with earnest eyes. “We’ve known each other for a little more than a month, now. Is it really that weird that I want to know a little bit more about you?”

Stiles tells him about his dad. When he’s almost  finished the doorbell rings and Derek stands up to pay for the pizza. They eat on the couch, cross-legged, with the sound of some talk-show in the background. Derek tells him about his life back in New York and Stiles tells him about his teenage years in Beacon Hills. When the clock strikes four o’clock, Derek is almost tempted to take the night off work, even if he knows he can’t. He doesn’t want to make Stiles go back to his empty apartment, but he knows that there’s no one else around to keep him company. Derek knows loneliness. He feels lonely in his bed every morning when he comes back from work, every time he rolls around in the sheets and feels the other side of the bed cold as ice.

“See you soon,” Stiles says, leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed on his chest. He smiles when Derek steps closer, putting one hand next to Stiles’ head. “Oh, I almost forgot,” Stiles says, tucking at the sweater he’s wearing. During the afternoon, Derek had given Stiles one of his sweaters so he could be more comfortable while they were watching TV on the couch. It’s a little big on him and the sleeves are too long, covering Stiles’ wrists and hands, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

“Keep it,” Derek says, looking down at his feet. “It-It looks good on you,” he stutters, leaning closer to Stiles. Slowly, he rolls the sleeves of the sweater back a bit, until Stiles’ hands are both visible and then he covers them with his own.

Stiles blushes. “Thank you, Derek,” he whispers, his voice soft. Their lips brush gently before Stiles leans back a little, smiling up at Derek. “I’ll see you next Saturday?” he asks.

“I don’t want to wait a whole week.”

Stiles frowns. “Neither do I. We have the worst routine, I swear,” he says. Then, his face lights up with an idea but he doesn’t say anything, because he’s not sure if that is the right moment to ask Derek something like that. _I have to wait_ , he thinks. “You could come over tomorrow. I have to grade some papers, but we could still spend some time together,” he says instead.

Derek’s face lights up with a smile. “That’s a great idea.”

 

+++

 

Monday morning, before Stiles leaves for work, he slips a folded piece of paper under Derek’s door. For the first time since they started writing to each other, he has to resist the urge to knock on the door and wake Derek up just to check on him.

 

_Best weekend ever! I can’t wait to do it over again next week. ~~I can’t stop thinking about our kiss.~~ I’ll let you know that I’m currently hating you because you’re sleeping while I have to go out in the cold and teach to a bunch of ungrateful teenagers. It’s raining, by the way._

_P.s. I think Erica and Boyd finally noticed I moved in their same building. She smiled at me this morning and Boyd just nodded, but he doesn’t really seem like the sociable type, so I’ll take that as a win._

+++

 

**_Erica texted me about you. I’m positive you’ll have new friends by the end of the week._ **

**_I had the best sleep in a looong time, by the way. Maybe it was the wine?_ **

**_P.s. I had a great time with you this weekend._ **

**_~~P.p.s I want to kiss you again.~~ _ **

 

+++

“So, how are things between you and Derek?” Scott asks on the phone a few days later.

“Perfect,” Stiles sighs. “I mean, I don’t actually see him as much as I’d like but we spent last weekend together and it was great. He-he kind of kissed me.”

“He kissed you?” Scott asks. “Really? I thought you would be the first to jump him.”

“Very funny, Scotty. No, I guess he couldn’t resist my hotness anymore,” Stiles says. “How about you, buddy? You and Allison should come and visit me, when you have time.”

“Allison would love to see you again, but she’s always working, you know? She sends you a hug, by the way,” Scott says. “Ehy buddy, Deaton needs me. Talk to you later, okay?”

As soon as Stiles hangs up, there’s a knock on his door. For a brief moment, Stiles hopes it’s Derek, but then he remembers that he’s working at the station. Outside his door there are Erica and Boyd, both wearing an identical grin on their faces.

“So, Derek told us you’re great fun,” the girl says.

“He did?”

“Yeah. From what he said- not much, to be honest- I feel like we’re going to be friends.”

By midnight, Stiles knows everything about Erica and Boyd’s relationship and he has enough information about their life that he feels like he has known them forever. When the couple leaves, leaving him alone once again in his apartment, Stiles walks up to Derek’s door and slides a note under it.

 

_You were right. I totally have two new friends now._

+++

 

The fire is so huge that Derek can feel the heat radiating when he’s still a block away. A condo is burning to the ground and most of the people that were inside are already safe, but Lahey tells him that there’s still a woman inside one of the apartments. Derek doesn’t think twice. He jumps off the truck and runs to the building, followed by some of his co-workers. The stairs are dangerous to climb, but there’s no time and no other way to reach the third floor, where someone’s screaming so loud that Derek’s ears ring.

He’s the first to walk into the apartment. Around him, the fire is so violent and the smoke so thick that he has trouble seeing. He follows the voice until he can feel that he’s only a few feet away from the woman. She’s still screaming.

“Ma’am, can you walk? Can you follow my voice?”

“I can’t see anything!” the woman screams. “And I can’t walk. I think my leg’s broken.”

He sees a silhouette next to where he’s standing and he reaches for it. It’s Lahey. “We have to carry her outside. She can’t walk.” Lahey nods and they both walk carefully towards the woman, following her screams. When the screams stop, Derek knows that she has finally passed out.

Lahey is the first to grab the woman’s arm and lift her up. Derek helps him right away and they both start to make their way down the stairs. The fire is everywhere and the smoke doesn’t let them see anything. Even if the time is running out, they force themselves to go slowly, step after step.

When the cold air of the night finally hits his face, Derek is so relieved that he feels his knees give out. He hands the woman to the paramedics and pats Lahey on his back, too exhausted to speak.

 

+++

 

The hot water runs over his skin like a refreshing balm. Derek still feels the acrid smell of smoke inside his nostrils and he tries to scrub at the smears of ash on his arms and face. He feels emotionally drained when he steps out of the shower and he barely has the strength to put a shirt and a pair of sweatpants on before he falls on his bed.

 

+++

 

Derek can’t sleep. He rolls and rolls in his bed until he can’t take it anymore. He stands up and walks outside his apartment. Knocking on Stiles’ door never felt more right.

“Derek? Derek! Oh my god, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Stiles touches his arms to make sure he’s not hurt. Derek feels the knot in his chest ease a little bit when he takes in Stiles’ messy hair, his puffy eyes and the fact that Stiles is wearing Derek’s sweater.

“I’m fine,” he says, his voice too loud in the silence of the hallway. “I had a rough night.”

“Do you want to come in?”

Derek nods and steps in, walking past Stiles and crashing on the couch. Stiles sits next to him, hiding his feet under Derek’s thigh. He puts his head on Derek’s shoulder and waits.

It’s almost six in the morning when Derek finally speaks. He tells Stiles what happened, about the woman that almost died and about the fire and the smoke. He tells him how his parents burnt to death in a car crash and how he should be used to the fire by now but he can feel the smell of smoke every time something like this happens. Stiles sits still like he has never done in his life and listens until Derek runs out of words.

“Come on, follow me,” Stiles says when Derek’s eyes start to close. He grabs Derek’s hand and leads him to the bed. They lie down next to each other while the sun is raising outside. Stiles turns on his side and throws an arm across Derek’s chest, dropping a light kiss on his shoulder.

“You’re still wearing my sweater,” Derek says, smiling a little.

“It’s so soft!” Stiles says, sliding closer to Derek. “And it smells amazing.”

Derek bows his head down and buries his nose in his own sweater and then into Stiles’ hair, that still smells like shampoo. When he breathes again, the smell of smoke has gone away.

“Thank you for letting me in,” Derek whispers. “I couldn’t fall asleep alone in my bed. I kept thinking about that woman screaming and-”

“Ehy, it’ okay. You can knock on my door whenever you want. Actually, I was thinking about our routines and how we never seem to have time to see each other and...”

“And?”

“I thought, what if when you come back from work you sleep here? So we can have a few hours together before I have to go to school. If you want to. If you’d like to. I just thought that it was a good idea and I don’t need much sleep anyway. I mean, when I was a teenager I barely slept at night, so this shouldn’t really-”

“ _Stiles_ ,” Derek stops him. “Okay.”

“Really?”

“Are you sure you won’t be a zombie in the morning?”

“Totally sure,” Stiles says, sliding the sleeves of Derek’s sweater over his hands to keep them warm. He pushes himself half on top of Derek, burying his head between Derek’s neck and shoulder.

“Goodnight, Derek.”

“Night, Stiles.”

 

+++

 

When Derek wakes up (in Stiles’ bed, in Stiles’ apartment), he finds a note on the pillow next to him.

 

_There’s coffee ready in the kitchen. I hope you’re feeling better this morning. ~~Can’t wait for tonight.~~ _

_ Can’t wait for tonight.  _

 

+++

 

It’s five in the morning when Derek slips inside Stiles’ apartment, using the key that Stiles left under the mat. He takes his uniform off and puts on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants he left beside Stiles’ bed the first night he slept there.

“Derek?” Stiles mumbles, smashing his face in his pillow. Derek lays down on the mattress and Stiles shuffles closer to him, throwing an arm across Derek’ chest. Stiles hums in pleasure when Derek starts carding his fingers through his hair. “You’re cold.”

“It’s freezing outside,” Derek says. “You’re warm, though.” He kisses Stiles, biting a little on his lower lip and licking inside his mouth, smiling when Stiles moans. Derek throws the covers over their heads, hiding them in the safe, warm space of Stiles’ bed.

“How was work?” Stiles says, biting at Derek’s neck. “I missed you, you know. I think it’s time you give me your phone number.”

Derek laughs softly. “Fair enough. Even if I don’t think you should text in school.”

“I’ll find a way, trust me.”

Derek kisses him again, pulling Stiles closer to his chest. They don’t stop talking even when Stiles’ alarm goes off, too comfortable to move. For the first time since he moved, Stiles takes a day off from work.

 

+++

_6 months later_

 

Stiles is on his way to work when he notices two slips of paper under his door. The first reads:

**_I’ll miss all the lazy mornings with you, but I thought this could be a good compromise for the both of us._ **

**_P.s. Go on a date with me Friday night?_ **

The second paper is a time-table, showing him Derek’s new shifts at the station. He still has to work some nights, but now he has morning shifts, too. Stiles looks at Derek sleeping in his bed, his face relaxed and soft in the morning light.

 

_I don’t know why we’re still living in two separate apartments. Move in with me?_

_p.s. YES!!_

_p.p.s You look adorable when you sleep._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :)


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